WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump unveiled a wide-ranging Gaza peace plan on Monday and won cautious backing from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned he was still ready to “finish the job” against Hamas.
The Qatari prime minister and the Egyptian intelligence chief shared Trump’s Gaza plan with Hamas, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters on Monday.Hamas negotiators told mediators they will review the plan “in good faith” and provide response, the official said.
While Netanyahu’s warning reflects the complexities lying ahead. “If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr President, or if they supposedly accept it and then then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself,” Netanyahu said at a joint press conference in the White House.
The 20-point plan, which Trump has also circulated to Arab leaders, calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Other key points include deployment of a “temporary international stabilisation force” and creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump himself and featuring other foreign leaders.The deal would demand Hamas militants fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government. However, those who agreed to “peaceful co-existence” would be given amnesty.
Following Israeli withdrawal, the borders would be opened to aid and investment. In a crucial change from Trump’s earlier apparent goals, Palestinians will not be forced to leave Gaza and instead, the document said, “we will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”
Netanyahu made clear he was in favour, saying it “achieves our war aims,” while Trump said he was hopeful that Hamas would also give its backing.Approval from all sides was “beyond very close,” Trump said. However, many important details remained to be clarified.
Netanyahu stressed to reporters that Israeli forces would retain responsibility for Gaza security “for the foreseeable future.” He also cast doubt on whether the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank territory, would be allowed a role in Gaza’s governance.
“Gaza will have a peaceful, civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority,” said Netanyahu.The US president had met key Arab leaders at the United Nations last week and said Sunday on social media that “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER.”
During a phone call with Qatari prime minister on Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu told him that Israel has no plan to violate the Gulf state’s sovereignty again, following a strike on Doha earlier this month that unsuccessfully targeted Hamas officials.
A statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said that, Netanyahu also said he had conveyed the same commitment to US President Donald Trump and expressed Israel’s regret over the death of a Qatari citizen in the attack.
Here is the plan, as released by the White House: 1. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025 agreement.
9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.
11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.
14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas, and the factions, comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.
15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalize Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.
16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the Unites States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.
17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace.
19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.
Meanwhile, the UAE pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept President Trump’s Gaza peace proposal at their meeting on Monday and to abandon any plan to annex the West Bank, a delegate with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The UAE warned Netanyahu that annexation would shut the door to further Israeli normalisation with leading Arab and Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, the delegate added. Netanyahu faces pressure to annex the West Bank from far-right politicians who want to extend sovereignty over the area and snuff out hopes for a Palestinian state.
